Lifespace recieves Queen's Award for Voluntary Service

Lifespace Trust has been honoured with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK. 

 

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service is the highest award given to local volunteer groups across the UK to recognise outstanding work in their communities.

The awards were created in 2002 to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and winners are announced each year on 2^nd June – the anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation. Only three awards have been achieved in the whole of Warwickshire this year.

 

Lifespace received their award from Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire, Tim Cox, at their Annual General Meeting on Monday, in Stratford Town Hall. Presenting the award to Lifespace Trust, Mr. Cox said "I have been sent here by the Queen to present Lifespace Trust with this award... I am delighted you have been successful in receiving this Award which is given for an outstanding contribution to voluntary services.  It is richly deserved as you are supported by so many excellent volunteers". 

 

Our specially designed cake, created by
Emma Mitchell. Someone was keen with
the knife before we took the photo!

Director, Chris Spriggs, said: “This award recognises the astonishing contribution of our volunteer mentors and trustees over the last eleven years. I have an incredible team who demonstrate an unswerving dedication and skilled compassion for young people. The Queen’s Award is fitting recognition of our work, past and present. We are thrilled.”

Representatives from Warwickshire County Council, Stratford District Council, Stratford Town Trust, Vice Lord Lieutenant Hamish Gray-Cheape and Deputy Lieutenants Bridget Winstanley and Sue Saudners, VASA, WCVYS, Stratford Mayor Tessa Bates and High Sheriff of Warwickshire, Janet Bell-Smith, were all in attendance for the presentation.

 

The QAVS crystal

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service Committee Chair, former broadcast journalist Martyn Lewis CBE said: “I warmly congratulate all of the inspirational voluntary groups who have been rewarded for their community work with a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. The judging panel for this year’s awards were struck by the quality and breadth of all the successful groups. The thousands of volunteers who give up spare time to help others in their community and to help solve problems demonstrate the best of democracy in action.”
 

A community of mentors keeps growing

We welcome 14 new volunteer mentors this month!

They are just about to complete their 3 day mentor training programme based at The Barn, Bidford-on-Avon, delivered by Mentoring and Training Co-ordinator, Kate Cocker and Director, Chris Spriggs. This will grow the community of Lifespace mentors to 49... which is great news for reaching more young people who face difficulty and distress, more speedily and effectively. Every mentor teams up with an individual supervisor.

All their mini-biographies and photos are on our new website in the gallery of mentors:

http://www.lifespace.org.uk/our-mentors.html

 

Welcome to...

Cher-Anne Beard, Jo Broughton, Lorraine Cattrell, Janette Del Monaco, Fran Foster

Liz Gregson, Jo Harper, Sara Le Grice, Fiona Legros, Isabelle Mullon, Bethan Pierce-Jones, Debbie Seaborn, Gill Thomas, Sam Wehby.

 

 

 

 

The Mentor Training programme includes:

-    Understanding the role of a mentor and the qualities required
-    What mentoring is ...and isn't!
-    How mentoring differs from counselling, befriending and coaching
-    The mentoring life spiral as a process for mentoring relationships
-    How to start and end mentoring relationships well
-    Role plays and mentoring resources
-    Young people and mental health
-    Mindfulness and resilience in mentoring
-    Creating positive outcomes
-    Mentoring techniques and questioning styles

We deliver mentoring training approximately every 9 months to give time to making sure all our new mentors are effectively inducted and matched to an individual supervisor. To enquire about our next training (scheduled for April - June 2016) please call the office on 01789 297400 and ask to speak to Kate Cocker.

The training currently costs £195 which is payable in advance by a trainee. This is reimbursed in full once a mentor has completed 24 hours of mentoring with Lifespace as a volunteer. If the cost is a barrier to your participation but you are still interested in volunteering with us, please contact us and we are open to discussing possibiities.

Volunteers are accepted only after a full interview, two references and a DBS Enhanced Disclosure. 

New website launched

Our new website www.lifespace.org.uk went LIVE! this autumn with a fresh look and design.

 

The site is based around three sections to help everyone connected to or interested in Lifespace find what they need within two clicks!

 

The three sections are:

1. How we help - about our services and behind the scenes

2. Get help - for young people, families and schools, with a simple 'mentoring request' form available to download

3. Help us - how to support our work with young people with a donation

The homepage also proudly displays the Queen's Award For Voluntary Service emblem, having received the prestigious award for an "outstanding contribution" to the lives of young people since 2004.